Views of Maitland

People

WOODFORTH James

Gender:	male
Date of Birth:	16 July 1843
Place of Birth:	Basseville Pas de Calais Country: France
Father:	WOODFORTH James
Mother:	CRAMP Elizabeth
Date of Arrival:	1848, 7 Oct
Ship:	Agincourt
Naturalisation:
Marital status:	married
Spouse:	McLean, Margaret (1843-1936)
Date Married:	1865, 13 April
Place Married:	Maitland
Children:	13 children
Occupations:	coach builder
Places of Residence:	Maitland
Date of Death:	27 February 1907
Place of Death:	Moss Vale, NSW, Australia
Buried at:
Profile:
Family history research (Woodforth, email, Rootsweb, 26 May 1998) states that James Woodforth, aged 5, arrived with his parents on the ‘Agincourt’ and settled in Maitland in 1848. They came from England via France. In 1858, James Woodforth (senior) posted a notice stating that, formerly a waiter at the Northumberland Hotel, he had taken on the licence of the Rose Inn (MM 9 Sep 1858:2). By late 1868, James Woodforth (junior) was advertising as Woodforth and Grogan, coach builders (former J J McNeall’s, West Maitland) (MM 31 Oct 1868). In 1870 (MM 22 Dec 1870:1) Miarus Moore purchased the stock and goodwill of the Woodforth business but continued to engage James Woodforth to manage the business. In November 1871 Woodforth purchased the factory back from Moore (MM 25 Nov 1871:1). The ownership and management of the business then seems to move backwards and forwards between Moore and Woodforth,with the business advertising as Woodforth’s Coach Factory. By 1879, the business is advertised as the Northumberland Coach Factory with James Woodforth as manager (MM 24 May 1879 p11). Two years later, in 1881, there is a sale of goods from the insolvent estate of James Woodforth (MM 19 March 1881). This was the second time Woodforth was declared insolvent: the first time was in 1871 (SRNSW Insolvency Index). Under Moore’s ownership, Woodforth continued to work at the business and his coaches continued to win prizes at agricultural shows. In 1883 there was a final parting of ways between Miarus Moore and Woodforth, with the former declaring that Woodforth had left his employment ‘AT MY REQUEST’ (MM 19 Jul 1883:1). Woodforth subsequently established his own coachbuilding business, advertising that it was located opposite the D Cohen building ‘(not next to Lipscombe as previously)’ and, indicating acrimony between the former business associates. Woodforth, for example, published a public notice declaring that the ‘majority of the prize winning buggies exhibited at the late SIngleton Show were made under his supervision’. The heading of this public notice was ‘Honour to whom honour is due’. (MM6 Oct 1883:8; 18 Aug 1883:1) Woodforth’s new business faltered and, in 1885, G H V Beckmann purchased the stock-in-trade of Woodforth’s coach and buggy factory which he renamed ‘The Bon Marche Carriage and Buggy Manufacturing Company’ (MM 7 May 1885; 7 July 1885). Woodforth died in Moss Vale in 1907.

Related Records

Local Government Areas:
Maitland City
Sites:
Northumberland Coach and Buggy Factory	Maitland	Maitland City
Themes:
Industry
Towns:
Maitland	Maitland City
Publications, Reports, Theses:
Maitland Mercury NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Internet Index to NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages (NSW BDM) Sydney Morning Herald

Views of Maitland Record No.: P317
Created: 08/09/2014
By: Janis Wilton
Modified
By